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MANAGEMENT MARKET WATCH trends is what's happening with this one, which is that it starts in the most metropolitan coastal mar- kets like New York and San Fran- cisco, and spreads from there," she said. "You have very young, ideal- istic Millennial-generation somme- liers designing beverage programs. What do young, inexperienced peo- ple do? They look at what's in the news and pay attention to what's getting ink in the magazines, what's on the Food Network and all of that," added Old, pointing out that the jobs don't tend to pay all that well; when restaurant wine buyers reach their 30s and 40s, they tend to exit the business in favor of bet- ter-paying day positions. Old said a current trend is "Showcasing products that are obscure and based on developing a list that's almost defined by what's not on it. To be honest, I went through this phase when I was in my late 20s – I had enough knowl- edge and experience to be dan- gerous. The shift to younger and younger wine managers is leaving us in a situation where idealism and enthusiasm are in great supply, but we're a little short on wisdom and experience." Another factor driving the eclec- tic wine list is pricing. Lesser- known wines available from Europe can deliver a decent profit at $10 a glass, and that's been a vital con- sideration in the recent recession. Old pointed out that in the era of Google Goggles, a phone app that allows diners to research a wine by taking a quick photo of the label, it's relatively easy to find out what a popular wine sells for, but less so for an obscure one. "I think back 10 years ago to what I was buying for restaurants, and there's no way that I could be serving premier cru Burgundy that I used to be able to serve at a ratio- Rabobank, Vintage 1898 Agricultural lending for five generations Rabobank was founded in 1898 by farmers who pooled their savings to provide loans to their neighbors and communities. More than 110 years later, we've grown into a leader in agricultural and community banking by standing by our customers, rain or shine. Our California wine industry team provides the financial rootstock that helps growers, suppliers and vintners produce the wine that state is famous for. And we can help you too. Wine author, educator and consultant Marnie Old believes that inexperienced wine buyers tend to gravitate toward trendy, unusual wines. Photo: Clint Blowers WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM (707) 545-6887 (805) 238-2063 Let's grow together. Charles Day Chris Yerich Rabobank, N.A. • Member FDIC • www.rabobankamerica.com JULY - AUG 2012 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT 27